The present invention relates to a computing system such as a virtual machine, a logical partitioned computer, a physical partitioned computer, or the like, and, in particular, to configuration management, failure monitoring and control of internal hardware resources in such a computing system.
Conventionally, vital service such as mission-critical service utilizes a mainframe computer. Generally, a mainframe computer comprises particular hardware architecture and a particular operating system oriented to that particular architecture. Configuration management, failure monitoring and control of hardware resources in such a mainframe computer are realized through a special monitoring apparatus or terminal provided separately from the main body of the computer. Usually, an administrator uses a management console, in order to manage, monitor and control internal hardware resource information collected by the special monitoring apparatus etc., to which the management console connects via network.
The reason why thus-described configuration is employed for management, monitoring and control of hardware resources in a mainframe computer is as follows. Namely, a mainframe computer is used for vital service such as mission-critical service, and that computing system is vital, and accordingly it is necessary to prepare a special monitoring apparatus or the like separately from the main body of the computer. Further, it is easy to prepare a special monitoring apparatus, since the number of computers under administration is small.
In the field of mainframe computers, a computing system has been conventionally known, such as a virtual machine, a logical partitioned computer, physical partitioned computer, or the like, in which a plurality of operating systems run in parallel on one computer. Also in such a computing system, configuration management and the like of hardware resources are realized similarly to a computing system on which a single operating system runs. Conventional examples of virtual machine are described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Laid-Open Nos. 9-171475 and 8-227406, etc., for example.
On the other hand, an open architecture computer such as a personal computer, workstation, or the like, comprising open hardware architecture and a multi-purpose operating system oriented to that architecture, has been rarely used for mission-critical service, owing to performance of the computer itself. Further, it is very rare to employ a computing system's configuration on which a plurality of operating systems run. Further, generally, the number of computers in which a system configured with open architecture computers is much greater than that with mainframe computers, and accordingly, it is not easy to provide a special monitoring apparatus or the like for each computer.
Accordingly, in an open architecture computer, usually, a management agent executed on an operating system performs configuration management, failure monitoring and control of hardware resources in a computer, and an administrator uses a management console connected to the computer via network to manage, monitor and control information on the hardware resources in the computer. Further, to cope with a fatal hardware failure, a certain server-type computer is sometimes provided with an apparatus for managing, monitoring and controlling hardware resources in the main body. In many cases, such an apparatus is implemented as a relatively simple add-in board or the like that can be housed in the main body. Such a conventional example is mentioned in Japanese Unexamined Patent Laid-Open No. 9-50386, for example.